Many students at Manhattan take a weights class for one of their seven classes, but some students go above and beyond in their fitness efforts. A few students at Manhattan and schools around the area take a sports enhancement class at Maximum Performance.

Max Performance classifies sports enhancement as a class that involves all of the concepts for improving power, speed, agility and core strength. A hard thing about training is it is hard to establish how much improvement athletes truly get. Max Performance uses comprehensive tests to measure a baseline and therefore have a way to test improvement on all of its athletes. Juniors Thomas Gevock and Tessa Irvine are two of the students that take this class.

“They [the teachers] have specific degrees so they have a lot more knowledge in the field of fitness,” Gevock said.

All of Maximum Performance’s staff hold a bachelor’s degree in exercise science or a related field and are NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists. The goal of this training is to develop or improve the strength, power, speed, agility, balance, flexibility, and proprioception for any type of athlete. By enhancing one’s basic strength and core fundamental skills, they improve a person’s athleticism, enabling them to become stronger, faster, quicker, and more powerful athletes. Many of the goals that Max Performance lists on its website seem to be reached in the training sessions with MHS students.

“Many of the advantages I get out of it is the help with speed and agility, strength, and the conditioning.,” Irvine said.

The teachers strive to create environments for the students in which they push each other and themselves to do their best.

“I enjoy being able to reach goals I’ve made and having someone constantly pushing you to do your best,” Irvine said.

Many of the benefits athletes are able to get from classes like this are the sports specific drills and work that is done. Many times having a schedule and a workout plan allow athletes to reach their goals, as well as having someone who is knowledgeable and informed teaching and pushing them.